Edge-trimmer attachment for sewing-machines.



A. B. WALES.

EDGE TRIMMER ATTACHMENT FOB. SEWING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED APR.24, 1909.

959,275. Patented May 24, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A. B. WALES.

EDGE TRIMMER ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES. APPLIOATION FILED APR.24,1909.

, Patented May 24, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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' novel UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED B. WALES, OF WHITMAN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO B. FLEIGEL COM- IE'ANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

EDGE-TRIMMER ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

Patented May 24, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED B. WALES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Whitman, county of Plymouth, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Im provement in Edge-Trimmer Attachments for Sewing-Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like arts. p This invention relates to an under trimming attachment for sewing machines and particularly to a work guide adapted to be associated with such attachment. These under trimming attachments are used for trimming the edge of one of two parts which are to be sewed together so that the trimmed edge will come even with the edge of the other part. As an example of the way in which such edge trimming attachments are used, I will refer to the step in the process of the manufacture of shoes by which the lining is sewed to the upper. After a lining of a shoe is cut, it has sewed to that portion of the edge thereof at the top of the shoe a strip of leather called a top facing, and then the lining with the top facing attached is sewed to the upper by a line of stitching which runs close to the edge of the upper. During this rocess of sewing the lining to the upper, it 1s customary to trim the edge of the lining and top facing so that said edge will come even with the edge of the upper, such trimming being done by means of the edge trimming attachment for the sewing machine.

My invention has for its object to provide a novel guide adapted to engage the edge of the upper and guide the latter so that the line of stitching will be at the proper distance from the edge, which guide does not interfere in any way with the use of the ordinary edge-trimming attachment.

My improved guide is sustained independently of the trimming knife and is so supported that it will ollow the movements of the knife and will guide the material equally well whether the lining or other part to be trimmed is thick or thm.

Other advantages of my invention will be more fully hereinafter described and the features of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Figure 1 is a view of a portion of the bed tion on the line ww, Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a section on the line y- Fig. 3. Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional. views on the lines aa and b--b, Fig. 2.

The parts which are old and form no part of my present invention are the bed 3 of the sewing machine, the needle bar 4 with the needle 5, the presser wheel 6 which runs on and holds the work in position, and the reciprocating trimming knife 7. This trimming knife 7 is of usual construction, it having the depending flange 72 at one end which is formed with the cutting edge 45. that acts on and cuts the edge of the material to be trimmed. Said trimming knife is pivotally sustained on a stud 8 rising from the plate 9, and said knife is provided with the resilient shank 10 which has an aperture therein that is adapted to set over a projection 11 carried by an oscillating arm 12 that is also pivotally mounted on the stud 8. The arm 12 has rigid therewith a depending yoke 7 3 in which operates the usual cam (not shown) by which a vibrating motion is given to the arm and thereby to the trimming knife in a manner well known to those skilled in the art. The trimming knife is formed with the portion 44 that extends beyond the cutting edge 45 and under which the edge to be trimmed passes.

The two pieces to be sewed together are shown at 15 and 16 and for the sake of illustration I will refer to these as the upper and the lining of the shoe. The upper 15 is of the proper shape and needs no trimming, but the lining 16 when applied to the upper has the edge 41 proj ect-ing beyond the upper, which edge has to be trimmed so that it will come even with the edge-42 of the upper. During the operation of sewing the upper and the lining together by a line of stitching 17, the ed e 41 of the lining to be trimmed passes under the portion 44 of the trimming knife 7 and the cutting edge 45 of the knife acts during its oscillation to trim the edge 41 even with the edge 42 in a manner well known to those skilled in the art and which requires no further explanation here. When the lining is sewed to shoe uppers, it is not necessary to trim the lining around the lower edge of the upper but only around the top and front edge thereof. It is, therefore, customai'y to disengage the spring shank 10 from the arm 12 and to swing the knife into its inoperative position, such as shown in dotted lines Fig. 2, at such times as it is not desired to use the trimming knife.

My improvement consists in providing a guide 20 adapted to engage the edge 42 of the upper and thereby properly guide said upper so that the line of stitching 17 will be situated at a uniform distance from the edge 42. This guide 20 is sustained independently of the knife 7 and is adapted to be at all times in proper position for guiding the upper whether the knife 7 is in operative position for cutting or is thrown out of operation. In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 2, this guide is carried by a resilient shank 21, one end of which is secured to the plate 9. The under face of the guide rests on the top of the knife, and said guide is provided with the extension 25 which has the curved under face 26. When the knife is in its operative position the guide rests on the knife and acts to guide the edge 42 as will be obvious. When the knife is thrown into its inoperative position, as shown in dotted lines Fig. 2, the guide still remains in position to properly guide the material, and the resiliency of the shank 21 holds the under surfaceof the guide below the level of the top surface of the work rest 48 so that said guide acts to accurately guide the work. When the knife is swung back into its operative position, the up er face of the knife engages the curved sur ace 26 and forces the guide upwardly sufficiently to permit the knife to pass thereunder. My improved guide, therefore, is one which does not require any adjustment when the knife is thrown from one position to the other.

The spring shank 21 may be secured to the plate 9 in a variety of ways without departing from my invention. As herein shown, I have provided the plate with a keeper 22 under which the end 50 of the shank 21 may be inserted. This end 50 of the shank is shown as having a headed stud 52 rising therefrom on which is sustained a thumb-piece 53, a spring 54 being confined within a recess formed in the thumb-piece and situated beneath the head of the stud. The upper face of the keeper is provided with a slot 55 of a size to receive the stud, and said slot is enlarged at 56 to receivethe portion 57 of the thumb-piece. When the lowerv portion of the thumb-piece occupies the enlarged portion 56 of the slot, the guide is locked in position but by raising the thumb-piece against the spring 54, thereby to withdraw the portion 57 rom the enlarged portion of the slot, the shank may be withdrawn from the keeper. The keeper is secured to the plate by means of screws 60,

and I prefer to make the apertures in thekeeper through which the screws pass slightly larger than the screws, so that said keeper may be adjusted somewhat.

In Figs. 3 and 5 I have shown an einbodiment of my invention wherein the guide has a somewhat difierent shape from that shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4. In Figs. 3 and 5, the guide is sustained by a resilient shank 21*, the end of which is secured to a block 7 0 that is carried by the plate 9. The under surface of the guide shown in Figs. 3 and 5 is curved upwardly at both sides at 64 and 65. The curved surface 64 is equivalent to the curved surface 26 on the guide shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and it permits the knife to be swung into its operative position without adjusting the guide. The curved surface 65 is provided so that in sewing a lining to the upper the stay piece in the back of the lining or any other thickened portion of the lining may readily pass under the guide.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a sewing machine, the combination with stitching mechanism and a movable edge trimmer adapted to be moved from its operative to its inoperative position, of a guide for the edge of the work situated above the edge trimmer and in contact therewith when the latter is in operative position, and a resilient shank independent from the edge trimmer for supporting said guide, said trimmer being movable relative to the guide.

2. In a sewing machine, the combination with stitching mechanism and a movable edge trimmer, of a resiliently supported guide for the edge of the work situated above and in contact with the trimmer when the latter is in its operative position, said guide being supported independently from the trimmer and operating to guide the work when the trimmer is in its inoperative position.

3. In a sewing machine for sewing together two layers of material, the combination with stitching mechanism including a needle and an under-edge trimmer adaptedto trim the edge of the under layer at a point opposite the needle, of a resilientlysupported guide for the edge of the upper layer situated above and in contact with the trimmer when the latter is in operative position.

4. In a sewing machine for sewing together two layers of material, the combination with stitching mechanism including a needle and an under-edge trimmer arranged to trim the edge of the under layer at a point opposite said needle and movable from its operative to its inoperative position, of a guide for the upper edge of the work resiliently' supported independently from the trimmer and adapted to engage said edge of the woik whether the trimmer is in its operative or its inoperative position.

5. In a sewing machine, the combination with stitching mechanism including a needle, of an under-edge trimmer for trimming the edge of the under piece of the two pieces being sewed together, of a guide for the edge of the upper piece situated above and in contact with the trimmer when the latter is in operative position, and means to resilient-1y support said guide whereby when the trimmer is swung into its inoperative position the guide will assume a proper position to guide the edge of the work.

6. In a sewing machine, the combination with stitching mechanism and a Vibrating edge trimmer, of a stationary guide situated above and resting on said trimmer when the latter is in operative position, a resilient arm sustaining said guide, the latter having a beveled under face to engage the top of the edge trimmer, and means independent from the edge trimmer for supporting the arm.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALFRED B. WALES.

Witnesses:

EMILY C. Houses, THOMAS J. DRUMMOND. 

